Traveling
We traveled yesterday. Well, really overnight, two days ago and ended yesterday. We got to our destination and questioned “what now?” See, we arrived yesterday morning, got a rental car and suddenly realized it was only 8am and would be way, way too early to check into our hotel.
We did what anyone would do in our predicament, we went for brunch. We asked the car rental guy where he would suggest going and he recommended a pancake place not too far away. After we ate, we decided to change into shorts from the long pants we wore on the airplane. Have you ever tried or even thought about changing clothes in a restaurant bathroom?
Anyway, we changed and since it was only 9am, we were still way early to check in. My wife suggested going to this market where they sold T-shirts, jewelry, sunglasses and even ukuleles. After an overnight flight, walking convinced both of us that we were pushing ourselves too much… it was 11am. We decided to drive to the hotel and see if we could check in early. Nope.
We decided to leave our stuff with the bellman but what to do now? Sitting at the hotel pool, more shopping, going to the beach were all ideas thrown out. We decided to drive around to some of the places on the island we wanted to see and started off. It didn’t matter how many things we saw or drove to; the clock just wasn’t changing fast for the check in time of 3pm.
Finally, after driving around and seeing a few things, we started towards the hotel. Man, that shower felt good after we got into our room.
Flying over several time zones, does a number on your body. According to my watch, it wasn’t even 5pm, but my body felt like I was way up past my bed time and we still hadn’t had dinner. We met some people my wife knows professionally and went out to dinner. At about 8pm, the eating was over and everyone, but me, was talking shop. Since 8pm felt like 1am to my body, I was doing everything I could to break the professional shop talk so others who had just arrived would start to feel their body talk to their body as well.
By 10pm (which would be normally late for me even if my body didn’t think it was 3am), we went to bed.
“After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.” - Matthew 2:9-12 ESV
“For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey; he took a bag of money with him; at full moon he will come home.” - Proverbs 7:19-20
For a while, I enjoy traveling because of all the new people I get to meet, and things I get to see. But I find a growing desire to return home. Maybe that is the real message of traveling.
